


A new beginning

by Tizy



Category: Reylo - Fandom, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:54:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26680984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tizy/pseuds/Tizy
Summary: A long time ago, in a galaxy far away ... The resistance has a long way to win the war ... but how to do it?
Relationships: Rey/Kylo Ren
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	A new beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not mothertongue English, then sorry for my mistakes. As in each story our heroes have difficulty to overcome, then it get better ...

A new beginning

A long time ago, in a galaxy far away ...  
The resistance was decimated after Crait, but they would never surrender ... A year had passed, and they had prepared a new attack on an important first order base, but a great tragedy hit hard: Leia died of heart attack. Everyone was dismayed, but a new resistance general was necessary.  
\- "Greetings everyone, I'm Emma Smith, I has been a senator and a friend of our beloved Leia, I am very lucky to be alive now, because when Hosniam Prime was destroyed by our enemies I was foreign minister of the new repubblic on diplomatic travel towards another solar system. I am not and never will be her obviously, but i'll take her place and i'll do my best to lead the resistance and win. Now we must be strong and go ahead. May the force be with us!".  
Finn and Rose was a couple now, Poe and Finn were best buddies, and also Rey and Rose became friends. Poe had tried to court Rey, but she had learnt jedi code: they were supposed to be celibate for all their lives, and their detachment for enlightment. Luke had told here these things she didn't know prior, because his force ghost often came to visit her, teaching her jedi things, he also helped her to repair the blue lightsabre, and she had learnt how to 'read' that blade and felt what Anakin felt when he created and used it, his fears, his fall to the dark side, everything. It was hard at time but slowly, she learnt. Moreover she had the ancients jedi texts with her. In that year they gathered information, tried to attack first order bases, but the enemy was smart and well organized.  
They also came back to Canto Bight, and in their surprise there wasn't casino and fathier races any more, in so little time things were changing ... They had been so lucky to stumble across to Temiri Blagg too, who now lived in another planet with his adoptive parents and was happy with them.  
The day had come, finally, Rey couldn't wait any more, the day they would attack one of the first order most important base (base A), and maybe, obtain the ultimate victory on them. Their surprise attack was successful, even if in that year they had obtained financing, ambushes and diversions were always a better strategy rather than open field warfare, at least to begin with.  
Things were going quite well: stormtroopers fell as skittles, Finn's aim was excellent and at some point he noticed a fallen trooper tend his hand to a comrade of his, this reminded him that moment at Jakku when he felt compassion for a fellow trooper, when he was still one of them, his sudden awareness, his refusal to kill their rebels enemies, but now he was doing the same thing ... from the other side of the war. Of course he was an idealist, the resistance were 'the good guys', sure, but still ... He take cover. As soon as he saw Poe he nodded to him to get on board his starship.  
Meanwhile Rey was busy in the batterfield until suddently she sensed Kylo Ren presence approach: she went to face him. No more force connession after Crait, Rey believed she let all behind, that she was strong, but now, sensing him after so much time, a thrill in her back, but she had to be determined, she let her rage take over, and chased him in the batterfield, when the few survivor stormtroopers were retreating ...  
Finally she found him. His figure was imposing, but he looked tired. She reached him and, after a second, she attached, victiously. She had already beaten him once, and after a year of hard training with Luke and the repaired blue lightsabre nothing could have stopped her.  
She was too taken away by her own emotions and rage and wasn't able to sense his, but the boy defended himself well, too well, until she started to feel fatigue: no! She couldn't lose!She had to win at all costs, and yet he put her down and made her bite the dust: she was furious and humiliated, she hadn't never been defeated until that moment: in her hard life in the desert to be defeated meant death.  
Strangely enough, he didn't deliver the killing blow and spared her, but he had something to tell her.  
\- "Why are you still with the resistance? Only for your rebel friends maybe? Why did you attack this base?"  
\- "you should have come at the resistance with me that time, and you didn't! You are bad, you are lost in darkness, you are a lost cause, there's no more hope for you!" she screamed.  
\- "But what did you believed? Did you really believed me to come with you to take spits on face by your scum rebels friends? I hadn't attacked the resistance after Crait, and you know this, i let you go, and you now come here to attack my people, even if i haven't provoked you since then".  
Her first response was refusal, this hit her hard and she wasn't expecting this reaction:  
\- "you are bad, a school shooter, a mass murderer, war criminal, a parricide! I hate you!!!". This time she could sense his remorse again. She hit him hard. Kylo didn't said anything and went away, wary not to be hit in his back by her.  
Rey came back to the rebel base, upset. Her friends noticed this, but she didn't want to talk about it. Finn was thoughtful:  
\- "i am an ex stormtrooper you know, maybe i could, maybe i could convince some of my ex fellow comrades to mutiny, in this way we could win more easily, well actually it is not easy at all, but we need help because the first order is still too powerful" and Poe added  
\- "and today attack wasn't enough as we hoped for".  
\- "We also have fallen soldiers, unfortunately" Rose replied.  
The day after General Emma had new tasks for them, a difficult sabotage mission.  
\- "Hey Rey, no more pure white outfit today? Did you come back to old time beige desert dress?" Finn said.  
\- "Oh let her alone, Finn. We have more serious things to deal with" Rose reprised him.  
They went in mission together: the target was base B, where alleged first order plans were.  
They had to part ways at a certain point, and Finn tried to speak with an ex fellow stormtrooper of his, who caught him in the first order spacecraft:  
\- "No wait, why don't you defect as i did before? The first order has always treated us stormtroopers as expendable cannon fodder! Come with me with the resistance!".  
\- "Are you joking me?". Finn didn't understand,  
\- "you betrayed us, made fire onto us without mercy or remorse, cheering also, why should i believe you? Things are much better since Snoke died: we have payment and our own names! Go away, next time i won't be so merciful and will kill you. This is the war".  
Meanwhile R2-D2 was hit hard and, after killing many foes, Rey managed to retrieve and bring it away. The droid was seriously damaged, and Rey, while repairing him, noticed something in its recorded data. It was a video, but it wasn't clear.  
Something went wrong and they had to fight and flee but they were lucky: they kidnapped none else than Hux himself to obtain informations.  
Back to rebel base, Rey adjusted the video as best as she could, she was curious, and when she understood she was upset.  
\- "Luke, Luke, where are you? You must see this thing!".  
\- "Here i am!" he replied. He had appeared to her once again.  
\- "Look here! Isn't this your old jedi temple? Isn't that Ben? There is no sound in this video, but it look like he defended himself from his own fellows padawans! It is terrible! He killed them, much blood was poured out by his saber that damn night, but they was attacking him! Why did you tell me it was a slaughter?"  
\- "well I ... I believed that ...". The remain video showed Ben who spoke with other 3 padawan, the ones who hadn't attack him, they seemed to argue animously, he screamed at them, then them parted away and he alone went inside the temple. After a while, he came back outside and launched stone bolts toward the temple with the force, until it went ablaze, then he went away too.  
\- "Rey! Rey!!" Poe called her.  
\- "What's up?"  
\- "I've beaten up this wretch so much and still nothing! He just blathered nonsense things! How about you to do something about it?"  
\- "do you want me to interrogate him?"  
\- "Sure! We need informations! Something concrete".  
After Poe insistence, Rey used the same trick Kylo Ren once used on her: the ends justified the means in that case, and Hux was a disgraced guy: everybody hated him in the resistance. Reading his mind, Rey discovered Hux wasn't loyal to Kylo Ren at all, he had attemped a coup in the first order command line but failed miserably because he hadn't enough estimation in the first order ranks and people. She saw also he had been beaten by his own father with a belt as a child, and this explained the scars he had in the back. The poor guy was pitiful, full of envy, and sure, he suffered more than ever in that time, he was exhausted, and he should have done anything to stop his pain. She felt almost pity for him. Unfortunately he hadn't valued informations: Kylo Ren had kept him as general but more as honorific title than anything and didn't trust him, probably.  
Surprisingly, Kylo Ren came in person with his elite stormtrooper escort to save him and brought him away. in the resulted clash with him, he managed to steal the blue lightsaber Rey was holding, she then reacted and stole his red crossed saber in turn.  
The nearer Kyber crystal planet was under first order control, and it was dangerous to go there.  
\- "How will i do now? I haven't my blue lightsaber any more, i have only this evil red blade, it is not honorable for a jedi in training as me to fight with a red blade, but if i have no other blade i'll have to resign myself and adapt i suppose".  
Meanwhile Lando (who had rejoined the fight) and Emma told anecdotes each other and talked about Leia, Han and somethimes their son Ben.  
\- "You know" said Emma  
\- "Leia was so loyal at her job as a senator, she refused a position of rule at Birren planet",  
\- "yes" said Lando "and her refused that role in behalf of her son too, who knows, maybe he should have liked a similar role rather than jedihood".  
\- "He was already with her brother Luke at that point, she decided for him, yes, for his own good" was her reply.  
Rey kept the red blade in her hand, ad she felt something, something strong: memory of someone else ... Ben's memory.  
That blade had kept all his owner feelings, and they were overwhelming. At first, Rey was frightened: that one was a dark saber, its kyber crystal damaged, and she knew that reading a saber like that could be dangerous ... but that object had much to say ... it felt like it was alive. In her second attempt, Rey remembered Luke's teachings to focus herself, and tried again (but after all "do or no do, it is not try", right?).  
It became apparent to her Ben communicated with Han through the blade in their meeting in the catwalk. It always looked strange to her Kylo Ren gave his blade to Han before killing him. They had that blade in their hands in the same time. What meaning a similar gesture could have?  
Ben showed his father his most meaningful memory: Luke's 'attempted' murder, the hut collapsing and the following, this time she had the voices and the complete picture, the others padawans aggression, the ones who didn't believe him, and the arguing with the others. Ben looked hardily shaken.  
\- "... And now what will you do Ben? You are a friend of mine, but this!!"  
\- "I don't know ... I ..."  
\- "How can you believe we can trust you when you tell us master Luke tries to kill you!! He is a great man, a legend, a living istitution and represent the autorithy here! He is ... were your uncle too ... what you are saying is impossible, and even i we two haven't attack you this doesn't mean we believe you!"  
\- "your hands are dirty!" another said.  
\- "It is true" Ben coldly replied "if he who is supposed to represent the authorithy commit wrong the aggrieved party must shut up, isn't it? I had only to be silent and let him to kill me! This is the ultimate proof my family consider me cursed, my mother removed me away my home because ... Vader, my grandfather it seems, as if she herself wasn't her own daughter! My father let her do that and went to smuggle again. What will i do, right, if none will be able to believe me, and there aren't witnesses? I want only to leave and live my life, and if none can believe me i will cover up the things happened here tonight, i will burn the temple and I'll tell people it was an accident, I've just killed 9 people! Even if in self defense. Four wall of old relics aren't as much valuable i think! My life is at stake! Please, don't tell anyone what happened here, say people here died for a spontaneus fire if you are asked."  
\- "I leave. You were my friend. I hope i won't see you again any more!". The small group left, leaving Ben alone. From his point of view, it is shown he checked up there wasn't people inside before flaming the temple.  
Next image we look him in a community, friends of his family, and then a man approaching him:  
\- "You lied to us! You told it was an accident that killed your honored uncle Luke jedi master and your fellows padawans!"  
\- "What?" he barely reacted at first  
\- "Luke Skywalker is alive, and he told the truth! He went to Lor San Tekka to find the whereabouts of the ancient jedi temple, and he told them the horrible things you are done! I am incredulous, i believed you was a good boy, and instead ... how could you commit so ominous atrocity!!!"  
\- "You'll be put to death for this!" another voice.  
Apparently, what told by Luke was public domain, his reputation and honor ruined forever ... Ben had the force and didn't let them to arrest him, and escaped ... to Snoke.  
\- "I told you so" his persuasive voice "there is no place for you there, to that 'good people'. Come with me now, it is good if you hate them and want revenge on them, i can provide you a support system to get vindication on them and the chance to find and kill Luke. Come to me! To the first order! We are your destiny!"  
Back to the catwalk, the last message to Han was not told, but thought, Kylo Ren and Han both were holding his red saber and through it, Ben communicated with him with his mind: the red blade remembered:  
\- "19 years have passed since last time I saw you in person. How could you expect me to come with you now? My home, our old home, is no more! We parted ways many years ago, and you know this! I can't come back any more, i can only go ahead ... it was better if you didn't show yourself here, and if what you have just told me is true, if Snoke is only using me, he will kill me if i don't do it. Please, help me ..."  
She could sense Han feeling too now, and then, the revelation: Han killed himself!!! He pushed that damn saber button, because he felt guilty of being a failed father, and he really would have done anything for his son in that moment so he spared his son from that terrible deed, he realized then he wasted too much of his life away from his family. Rey thought at her clash against Ben on Starkiller base, at her rage at that time. She would have killed him, if not for the ground splitting them apart, and wasn't proud of it.  
Rey was shattered: it was so easy to judge and condemn a person not knowing the hard truth, his problems. Her life had been hard since childhood sure, she starved for food, she was alone in the midst of so many people at Nima outpost, but now she was in the resistance, and everybody counted on her, and the burden of that of course, but that people kept her in great respect, she was lucky now! He instead had his reputation hopelessly compromised, and had lost his friends too.  
\- "Luke! where are you?" This time he had taken more time to show up. "Luke!!! You have to see this! You must know what i've just discovered!!". Finally, his blue figure appeared.  
\- "Ah! If only you would be alive and in flesh i would slap you in your face! You ran away and hid yourself as a coward! You ruined his life! Now you will tell me you didn't know, sure, won't you?".  
Luke said nothing, lowheaded, depressed. He too felt remorse again. He vanished to go on another place.  
In first order headquarters, Hux was trying to recover from that bad experience, capitain Phasma was with him: she was something as near to a friend he could have: she was a tough woman, they were in cahoots with Hux father murder, but they never spoke about that afterwards (but did he actually know what friendship was? Really?). She had survived that bad fall and that clash by Finn and she was one eyed now: the fire had burnt the exposed eye, the only body part her molten armor couldn't save.  
\- "Lucky you to be alive, Hux! I didnt't believe our supreme leader gave a damn about you, honestly"  
\- "me too" Hux replied, embarassed but somehow, surprised.  
\- "however, the supreme leader wants you to get to him. Now"  
\- "yes sir" was his irritated answer. Even if he hadn't been officially demoted, he was cut out from the first order affairs and was deprived of the only thing he always went proud of: his stormtrooper program, that had been dismantled. He had always been envy of Kylo Ren, his power over the troops in the batterfield, his 'force' whatever thing it be, but the last year ... He, supreme leader of the first order, after all the sacrifices and efforts he, Hux, had done, that was too much, an affront, and now what did he want from him? The lesser he saw him, the better was for him, but now he had to go to him, unwillingly.  
\- "I summoned you to give you a task: the resistance have destroyed various supplies of ours, and even worse they killed many of our troopers, unfortunately. Go on 'Omega13' planet to recover our medical supplies, food and ... weapon. We must defend our base here and limit our losses. You are dismissed."  
After a little bow Hux was exiting the room.  
\- "Just a second" he held back Hux "You look tired, Hux. Once finished this task i grant you a holydays". This was really too much: Hux was a workaholic and this for him was the worst insult. He exploded:  
\- "If you wanted free yourself from me, why did you save me from rebel scum's clutch?" Kylo Ren looked at him and woke up from his chair:  
\- "I will be honest with you, i know you hate me and your ridiculous coup attempt at my expense, and yet you are a first order official, loyal, not to me, of course, but you value the first order. If we don't help each other in the first order, who will do it for us? I won't leave none of my troops and men to the resistance, they would kill us mercilessly, as we would do with them. I felt you weren't dead yet. As supreme leader of the first order, it is my duty to make sure that everyone is at his best for his job. Now unfortunately we have few men, after take one week for yourself and, when you will come back, i'll make you do the double, also the triple of your work if this is what you want". Hux was incredulous and livid  
\- "and what about my stormtrooper program? If we have few men now, it is your fault!" Hux trembled. He found himself surprised of himself to have found the courage to say that. Maybe he was so used to the pain now, not to feel anything anymore, after being beaten after so much time, since he was teen, maybe nothing mattered any more, maybe he really had hit the bottom.  
\- "If you were an engineer i could put you in my droid program. Soon a droid army will defend us. Unfortunately it isn't ready yet but we are almost there"  
\- "and how much did it cost, i wonder?"  
\- "not a little, sure. Kidnapping infants from their families is cheaper, sure. Cheat move. Maybe we should be better than this, we should raise our moral standard. For our people, on which the first order rules. Why do you care so much of the old stormtrooper program?"  
\- "it was efficient, it was my job, it was my thing! I was proud of it!"  
\- "And yet you didn't invent that. It wasn't your thing. It is the same trash jedis of old did to infants, and your father copied from that"  
\- "and what should i invent?"  
\- "I don't know. If I told you that It wouldn't be an idea of your own. I heard rumors about you and your father". Hux trembled again: did he know? How could he? What lenghts the so called 'force' could reach? He couldn't know that, and this made him feel uneasy.  
\- "If you weren't so fond of him i don't understand why do you care so much for that stupid program. His thing. If doing others what you have been done make you feel better, good for you, but this won't work for everyone and i want this cycle broken in the first order I rule. The first order won't steal children any more as long as I rule" Hux said nothing, ordering to recruits to beat each other always made him feel powerful "go now". Hux went out the room.  
The next day, in the Resistance camp, Poe was in good mood, in spite of everything. Whistling a song, he interrupted:  
\- "Hey, where are everybody?"  
\- "there is a meeting in the main hall with general Emma for the next steps of our battle, everybody is there, let's go!" Rose replied. They got there.  
\- "But where are Rey and Finn?"  
\- "ah Finn, i'm worried for him. It is since yesterday he hasn't spoken to me. He is closed in his room and he didn't have dinner. He told me he is ok ..."  
\- "... I'll pay him a visit, and our jedi?"  
\- "Ah, there she is!" Poe turned  
\- "darker clothes, grey this time ... it is all ok?". Rey looked distracted and in a hurry  
\- "i gotta go" she said.  
\- "Go where?"  
\- "I'll tell you later" she went away.  
\- "Are people all crazy today?" Poe bursted out.  
Rey was full of hope again, finally, after so much time, in the end she had understood, she could make another effort to bring Ben Solo back to the light! Three is the charm, isn't it? After Han and her previous attempt failed, this time she would be successful, she would bring Ben to the resistance explaing him she would have clarified everything with everyone there, and also Luke had repented, he should have clarified with his own nephew and the resistance. So she launched herself, full of faith, as the last time a year before.  
She sensed him, she knew where to find him, she expected he was alone in his headquarters, and she went.  
\- "Finally I have understood. I know you didn't kill your father, i know of the misunderstanding, this time you must come with me, we will clarify everything!". She looked at him: he was serious, silent and with eyebags. "Do it for Leia, you mother, do you know she passed away, didn't you?". He looked at her, cold:  
\- "But what the hell did you think? Should i do as my mother said, because only she was right? She only kept the right ideals, and I can't have others ideals and think with my own mind? Can't I make my own choices? I have responsibility toward my people now, the first order people. No, I won't submit to you, I wouldn't surrender my late mother too, even if she was alive. I should kill you now, because you killed many of my men ... if only ... if only i hadn't a weak spot for you ... ". Rey was petrified ... she didn't expect this ... it was even harder than the last time ... Probably an hard punch in her stomach would have hurt less.  
\- "I don't trust you. Go away" he continued, hardly "go back to you rebel scum friends". He was austere and sad, but determined. Rey looked at him, one last time  
\- "may you be abandoned by the force!" she screamed at him and went away. She didn't know if she actually meant what she had just said to him. Next time she would have to kill him to win the war, but how could she be able to do this at this point? He was really untamable, though. Wasting time with him had been useless.  
New day, new target (base C), new battle. One of their source informed them the first order was planning to build a new superweapon there. Rey was furious on the batterfield, she guided the Falcon and made a massacre of foes. Every hit of her cannons went to target. They won the battle, at last. Not the war, of course. Finn was there with them, but he seemed lost, confused.  
\- "Great, Rey!!" Poe screamed.  
\- "You look still strange, Finn" Rose said  
\- "true" Poe added.  
\- "We will talk about that after, my friends" was his sharp response.  
Unexpected, a new force bond came, after so much time. A glorious Rey, after defeating all her enemies, saw Ben in a room in his spacecraft tending his wounded stormtroopers, he saw her and closed the door on her, as her did to him.  
That evening, at resistance camp, Emma and Lando were talking about Leia and a lost friend of her.  
\- "You know, it was Casterfo who betrayed Leia In congress, he exposed her identity as Vader daughter because he was feeling betrayed by her, he thought she hadn't been honest with him. He supported Leia opposing faction, and yet he was an idealist, even if his ideals weren't hers".  
\- "But speaking of more recent news, where was the new superweapon of the first order? I didn't found nothing of that, only a generic base of operation" Rose stated.  
\- "Me too actually" added lieutenant Connix "weren't our sources accurate?".  
\- "Yes this is strange" added Emma, concerned.  
\- "Finn, would you tell us what is wrong with you? Rose is worried and me too now" Poe said.  
\- "Dear friends I ... I am not like of you ..."  
\- "???"  
\- "You know, I am an ex stormtrooper ... I'm committed to the cause with all of you, and I should do whathever it needs to win this war, but in doing so I've already killed many of my ex fellow comrades, I wanted to change their minds to fight with us, but I'm afraid it is already too late ... this is not easy for me ... I don't know how to do it any more and I ... have not the answers"  
\- "neither do we" Poe added "but if we defeat them enough maybe they will surrender, brobably killing their evil leader would help ..."  
\- "yes, maybe" Finn concluded.  
The next day, at the rebel camp, Emma always had new ideas, new plans, she was unstoppable in her mind and targets. Finn, Rose and Poe was discussing with her the possibility of a truce, and repubblic must always prevail of course, but unfortunately their foes hadn't the same ideas for that matter. Rey entered the room.  
\- "Rey, are you ok?" Finn was worried. It was evident she hadn't slept that night and she was wearing a brown, ugly mechanician overalls and her hair were covered up by a dark brown headband. She looked like she had hit the bottom.  
\- "I'll go ahead. I'm strong, I have to be". Warfare though was at stall.  
A week passed, and Hux came back at work, more rested than ever. He've had time to think at the latest things happened to him: Kylo Ren knew of his attempted coup and yet he didn't anything about it. He hadn't been never officially demoted, he was still a general, probably Kylo Ren wanted to keep him calm after the stormtrooper program dismantle. Afterward the supreme leader had deigned to come in a rescuing mission for him, he said he would have done that for each of his soldiers, but still. This seemed like forgiveness, and Hux had never had it in all of his life. In Kylo Ren's place he sure would have put himself to death.  
After his usuals politicals meetings the supreme leader asked for him again:  
\- "I have new work for you today: the 'Gamma3' planet has been shaken by a dreadful earthquake, support for the people is needed, you'll go".  
\- "while i was passing, i've heard the other generals speaking of a probable new attack by the resistance, shouldn't I take part on the attack against them?". Hux pointed out.  
\- "Other generals will do it. This time we'll be ready".  
\- "I'm not used to help people, I am better to attack my enemies, if you allow me". "It is for this purpose I send you there, it is boring to do always the same things, a new experience will benefit you, I myself would go there but unfortunately other tasks bring me elsewhere, capitain Phasma will come with you. ". Hux greeted and went out, he wasn't in the mood to discuss again.  
For years Kylo Ren had been sleeping little, even less since he was supreme leader: that was an endless job. At night suddently he felt a presence, it din't feel hostile but ... It was Luke!! His force ghost, at least. He woke up startled:  
\- "what do you want?".  
\- "well, i promised you we would meet again".  
\- "I've nothing to say you" was his defensive answer.  
\- "I have observed you for a while you know? At safe distance sure, I didn't want to be perceived, you know i am used to hiding after all. But I have understood a thing: it's since your father's death you have been redeeming yourself ... In your own way, of course. You forgive other people as you would like to be forgiven yourself. I wonder if you ever will be able to forgive me. I ruined your life, I know it now". Ben looked at him for a moment, serious:  
\- "no! I can't ... I trusted you!! Go away, let me alone". Luke understood and vanished. His sister Leia told him Anakin's ghost had come to visit her and she was never been able to forgive him, and now Luke understood. He understood how his father had to feel, the reasons his father's ghost had been absent for so long.  
The following morning Kylo Ren had a political meeting again. He had chosen a referent for each planet ruled by the first order who gave him news of the people's problems, some planets were rich some others poor ones and the issues were differents for each of them. Often mediation was necessary, often pleasing everyone wasn't possible and he more often than not favored the poor and oppressed, little and middle buisness were thriving but so many rich magnates went away and it wasn't possible to find them any more.  
At resistance's base our four friends group was tasked to find out the funds received lately, then a resistance meeting would have decided how to use that founds. Poe went at the pc:  
\- "look, we have many donations lately, wow! if we sum all together ... we could ... we could ..."  
\- "what's up Poe?" Finn asked.  
\- "With all that money we could make a little death star!! We could destroy an entire first order planet!".  
\- "The new repubblic unofficially financed us, until it lasted, but now we live only of small donations, how many are they now? Millions?" Rose asked. "Wait ..."  
\- "What's up Rose?" Finn asked.  
\- "Here are the nominative, and among them there is also the name of the man who exploited my birth planet, perhaps it is only homonymy ..."  
\- "It would be absurd, it can't be!".  
\- "Let's see the source of these found ... it seems in good part they come from 'Omega 37' planet, at least the substantial founds".  
\- "That planet is not ruled by the first order as much as I know ..." Poe added.  
\- "What does it mean? Why rich magnates used to exploit downtrotten people would finance us? It makes no sense at all!".  
So they went to general Emma to ask her a possible explanation:  
\- "it's possible the first order government is doing good politic for the poor and oppressed, but this is not the point! In spite of this they are still a regime, a dictatorship which we can't recognize, our fight is ideological, people must choose how to be ruled, only the republic can grant that. Our spies informed me they are designing a droid soldiers project, if we could decoding that program, we could turn their weapon against them, this would be risky sure, but I'll propose this idea at tomorrow meeting".  
Hux was coming back with Phasma from 'Gamma3' planet. He was tired, that experience had marked him, so many people was asking help and died. Those men and women confided in their help, and when someone was blessing the first order he was proud ... in a different way than before: slowly he was changing even if he hadn't realized that yet.  
\- "How are you?" asked Phasma.  
\- "Oh well, I'm alive"  
\- "you know, I haven't been so useful in the battleground after i lost my eye" Hux looked at her. "Therefore I haven't fight often as I'm used to since then. I also have done other things actually, so I understand you"  
\- "and what do you do usually now?".  
\- "logistics"  
\- "boring!" they laughed.  
Time passed. Rey came back to Jakku and found it different, there were many oases, she saw people farming the land: this looked like a miracle to her. She went to the cemetery and recognized her parents' names in two old tombs: Ben had told her the truth so she was able to definitely accept it.  
Next battle (base D) was very hard, the resistance was cornered on every front, the first order had completely operative soldiers droids on the battleground, tactics and smart generals in space. Not only this: they had also shielded spacecrafts: their special shields sent back each damage aimed to their spacecrafts. Emma was desperate when she realized this:  
\- "stop! Stop attacking the spacecraft! We must leave them behind! we must keep our ground on the batterfield and send a codebreaker to change the enemy droids program to turn them against the first order!". This time they had the right codebreaker: Maz's friend, Poe was tasked to escort him. Rey and Finn looked a bit demotivated and weren't much efficient. Finn was on the battleground and looked on the defensive, Rey was on the Falcon and was ordered to leave behind the flying foes and then rescue the soldiers on the battleground. Arduous undertaking: landing there was hard, the falcon was severely damaged, luckily for them when the codebreaker had done his job the enemies droids started to fight back their masters, but however they were runaway survivors once again.  
The gone mad droids started to fight back their masters and the few troopers and first order officials were hurted. Kylo Ren was immediately informed:  
\- "stop the attack! Go aboard the spacecrafts! General Hux, I'll go and keep the droids busy, go and turn off the droids! We have been sabotaged!". Hux hurried, the supreme leader could count on him, the droids had been stopped as soon as possible.  
When the battle was over Kylo Ren congratulated with general Hux:  
\- "your idea of reflecting shields was great, I'll entrust you more responsibility tasks from now on"  
\- "thank you. After every other ideas of mine you refused ... "  
\- "someone must have sabotated the droids. This is very serious, we must raise security"  
\- "do you think we have a mole?"  
\- "maybe the enemies inflitrated us. The droid program was a bad idea, I put in danger our men"  
\- "you are always hard on yourself since you are supreme leader, your idea was using droids to spare the lives of our people ... "  
\- " ... and I obtained the opposide effect. I must be hard, many lifes depends on my choices, it's my responsibility"  
\- "great powers, great responsibilities, after all!"  
\- "yes it is indeed like so" Hux got out the room.  
Outside Phasma was shocked:  
\- "a moment before we are about to annhilate the foes who attacked us, a moment after we are about to die by our droids ..."  
\- "are you wounded?" Hux asked, worried  
\- "No, luckily" she replied.  
\- "But the droid idea would have been great, if we haven't been sabotated ... not to mention the battle strategy, we were about to gain the ultimate victory ... "  
\- "well the strategy was our supreme leader's, since when have you defending his orders?" Hux found himself embarassed:  
\- "Well, what is true is true. Furthermore the spaceshields is an idea of mine, our supreme leader pays attention to my advices sometimes"  
\- "and you always tell him what you think?" Hux pondered for a second:  
\- "Quite enough lately, more than i used to do in the past"  
\- "actually things are better since our supreme leader is in charge: he is getting more and more respect by our ranks I must admit, and he does also a good politic for the population of our territories, from what I've heard"  
\- "Well, it is not bad as being humiliated by old dead Snoke, of course".  
The resistance was once again on scraps, they appealed to the population, but to their bitter surprise some people weren't so happy to talk with them. They met also Temiri Blagg.  
\- "Hey! It is you! How are you? What are you doing here?".  
\- "My adoptive parents died" was his sad answer.  
\- "What?"  
\- "they were working in the base that the resistance attacked last day. They were among the first taken by surprise by your attack they told me. many colleagues of them were saved, but not them. Now someone will take me to an orphanage to look for new parents for me. Gotta go now". Needless to say our usually cheerful group of friends was speechless.  
After another day of hard work on meeting, politics and negotiations, Kylo Ren went to his room but, before getting to bed, he said:  
\- "I know you are there. I felt you". Luke appeared and got near a bit, he said nothing. "You know, maybe I should thank you". Luke's force ghost was taken aback. "If it wasn't for you maybe I would still be a useless jedi under your tutelage. Probably I would be still a taintless good boy, of course. The way to get here hasn't been easy, but now ruling is not so bad". He paused: " Sure, the galaxy is big, and the first order doesn't control it all" Kylo Ren couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. "Please go away, and don't come back any more". Luke understood. Ben had tried but just couldn't help, for him it was easier to forgive people who had grudge against him like Hux rather than forgive a person who he had looked up for years and for so long when he was a child. His nephew's ambition was obviously worrying, even more the lives he had taken, of course, but now he seemed sincerely concerned about first order people, his politic was genuine. Luke decided to stop judging his nephew for once, as he had stopped judging his own father much time before.  
For Kylo Ren droids lives didn't matter as much as organic life, but he also had a loyal and reliable droid: BB-9E. Since he instinctively sensed a big danger for the galaxy that he couldn't explain himself he had sent BB-9E to investigate the farthest 'north' of the galaxy. Luckily the droid came back, but with bad news: some planet out there in the outer rim were vanished: the new seemed unbelievable but it was all true unfortunately: the droid's records left no doubt about this. The supreme leader went there to Helska, an astronomical object that was collapsing and tried to use the force to prevent its destruction, but this effort was arduous, whathever thing it was it was obvious it wouldn't have stopped and would have continued its run further sucking also inhabited planets. Then he detected a presence:  
\- "who are you?"  
\- "I'm the son of Mortis"  
\- "I've heard about you. I believed you was dead"  
\- "indeed. Killed by Anaking Skywalker, with that same saber you are now keeping in your belt " Kylo Ren paused a second and looked at his blade's hilt "but I came back to life again" the son stated  
\- "but why do you sucks planets? What do you want?"  
\- "I want to bring back to life my sister and father, and only in this way I'll obtain what I want".  
\- "Without a galaxy to live on? Wait, do you really need to vanish all this galaxy, and then you are going to live in another one? Are you joking me?"  
\- "joking you? Never!"  
\- "two lives in excange of all this damn galaxy! Are you eternal gods, you and your family?"  
\- "oh sure we are, if none kills us. Wanna try?" he challenged.  
\- "As much i could understand you, I can't allow you to do this!" "oh sure, you are get to defend your galaxy! How could you to stop me?". Kylo Ren pulled out his sword, Anakin's laser sword while The son of Mortis pulled his red blade. A huge crash. Epic duel. While fighting, Kylo Ren remembered something he had learnt in the past to deal with this type of problem ... After enough effort and staggering Kylo Ren induced an earthquake with the force and escaped with his spaceship at lightspeed leaving behind his opponent, but not before he managed to stole his opponent's medallion.  
\- "Good evening supreme leader" Hux welcomed him. Kylo Ren was more serious than ever  
\- "we are in serious troubles. We'll have to wait very hard times in the near future"  
\- "what's happened?"  
\- "we have a new foe, and he will be more dangerous than the resistance".  
\- "What?" "I felt a disturbance in the force" "oh you know well I know nothing about those things ..."  
\- "of course. Know only that it is exhausting, and our troops won't be able to help in any way, I'm afraid"  
\- "what do we do then?"  
\- "organize evacuation of all people living in the planets at 'north' of the galaxy closer to the outer rim, it is the only way to gain some time. I'm going to summon an emergency meeting with all governors of planets in that galaxy's area of first order's jurisdiction"  
\- "yes sir" Hux got out the room and the supreme leader also, he went to the library.  
Time passed.  
\- "Something is happening towards the 'north' of the galaxy, also the first order is getting near there in massive forces! We must go!" Poe was always active and enthusiastic in missions and this time was no different for him. Actually a massive amount of first order starships went there and got away, sure there was something underneath, starships full of civilians and well protected and shielded. Attacking them would have been a suicide, they limited themselves to observe, so the resistance was staying hidden in that galaxy area.  
Kylo Ren had taken some time to regain his strength after the crash against the son of Mortis and had investigated to conceive a possible solution to the menacing problem: it was obviously a problem he had to deal alone, because he couldn't count on anyone force sensitive. He came back to the 'north' and landed in Sernpidal planet and walked to an ancient sith portal. He put on the medallion he stole to the son of Mortis and started to perform a complicated ritual, but after a while the unexpected: from the sky far away a spaceship suddenly got close to him, he didn't make in time to react and was incapacitated. When he regained his senses his hands and foots were bounded, a driving masked man was next to him. Kylo Ren asked:  
\- "and who would you be?"  
\- "I'm Beeba Fett".  
\- "Oh! You don't say! Let me guess: you are Boba Fett' son?"  
\- "yes, exactly! I'm not as famous as my father yet".  
\- "Oh what an honor. Am I in trouble I suppose? Am I even lucky to be still alive?"  
\- "yes actually. The honour is all mine, however, supreme leader. In any case I'll sold you to the highest bidder"  
\- "and who would want me but rebel scum?"  
\- "oh well you have enemies, people who was making big money before you became supreme leader of half a galaxy"  
\- "indeed. I doubt Boba Fett' son would low himself if the payment wasn't good enough. Those people are still rich after all" Kylo Ren paused a moment. "But why keeping me alive? Doesn't they want me dead?"  
\- "well, I am ready for every chance i get" was Fett's brisk answer. It was likely Beeba Fett was there 'by chance', took his opportunity and now he would have contacted all the feasible interested parties to claim the highest bidder. Kylo Ren had no time to say any other thing: Beeba punched him in the face and he lost his senses again.  
When he regained his senses again he was still bounded and in a cage, some yardes away from him a group of rebel was discussing, he felt bad, very bad, he asked himself why was he still alive and he was afraid he already knew the answer ... he would have preferred to be in any place but there, or to be already dead.  
\- "General Emma, how much did you pay for him? Why didn't you tell anything to us?"  
\- "There wasn't time to inform everybody" was her laconic answer.  
\- "Very good. Now we can have a trial and comdemn him for war crimes". Next to him the ex stormtrooper was strangely quite, almost absent.  
\- "He is our late general Leia' son. I paid to lock him up, so he won't be able to cause trouble to us, not to put him to ...". If on the one hand Emma coun't finish her phrase, on the other people around her didn't want to hear reasons:  
\- "With all duty respect we can't play favorites". General Emma reluctantly agreed.  
Meanwhile Rey appeared and got near to him; she was so modest, with her ugly overalls and headband you could only see her face and her hands. She looked worried:  
\- "You are here, in the end. Even if in a cage. I'm sorry for you"  
\- "Don't pity me!" was his abrupt response. "Listen, this galaxy is in danger" he hastened to tell her "take the medallion on my neck"  
\- "what?" she asked, surprised  
\- "hurry up! Take also the note in my left pocket. Go to Sernpidal planet, look for a portal, put on the medallion and say aloud what it is written on this note, don't let anyone to notice you"  
\- "what are you saying?" she asked while she was taking these things and put them in her pocket  
\- "I don't have time to explain to you. Didn't you feel a disturbance in the force? It's the galaxy! You must finish what I started, if you won't do this many people will die, your friends too, and you ... You must do it alone ... no, better ... ask your friends to protect you while performing the ritual. You need to banish the son of Mortis, he is a god, don't fight him ... " Rey was looking at him, concerned. "I would do it myself, I almost did it but now I can't you see".  
The group got near to him, he heavily breathed, he would have liked at least his mask on, but he destroyed it time ago. The resistance gave him a warm welcome:  
\- "The galaxy will be a better place without such a guy, furthermore if we kill him we'll win the war and the repubblic will be restored" Poe exulted.  
\- "I don't believe so, go ahead, kill me. But general Hux will do, the first order will rule the galaxy even without me" Kylo Ren answered, smirking. A trial was arranged in a hurry, the 5 older members of the resistance were elected as judges, Emma was excluded; he was accused for most attacks he had done years before. Meanwhile Rey was there motionless, as if she was dazed.  
\- "I am witness to the monstuosities this man has committed" Poe started "he attacked Tuanul village in Jakku, made me prisoner and ordered to kill every people there, then he tortured me, right Finn?". Finn falled from the sky out to the blue:  
\- "here ... yes, but ... I'm not very well right now ..."  
\- "Do you see?" Poe continued "he is still traumatized by what it had happened to him, also after more than a year. This man is guilty by association of Starkiller base which destroyed Hosnian Prime, a whole solar system where the New Repubblic was, he ordered an attack on Crait where the resistance was almost decimated, he is a mass murderer and a war criminal! He also kidnapped also our jedi, right, Rey?".  
\- "I plead guilty of all the accusations, let's get it done" Kylo Ren was almost deadpan, he looked a bit snarky.  
Rey alone felt and understood how much he was actually suffering, his full hopelessness, behind his smirkes there was huge bitterness. Rey asked herself if Ben had gone with her to the resistance that time on the Supremacy, would her rebel friends treated him a bit better? Would they have given him a chance to earn respect and redemption? She started to suspect he was right after all, maybe they would have spit in his face exactly as he had told her.  
\- "May I speak?" she asked, determined.  
\- "Sure. Go ahead" she was told. She walked close to him until she touched his cage's bars and started her pleading:  
\- "He had done bad thing in the past, sure ... But we attacked Starkiller Base killing all first order people there, if we could have blown up Starkiller before Hosnian Prime was destroyed it would had been more useful, we hit base A ..."  
\- "no. Stop" he whispered to her  
\- "base B, bases C and D" she continued  
\- "by defending me you condemn yourself, stop!" he tries to dissuade her  
\- "we killed Temiri Blagg's adoptive parents" she continued, undeterred "we kidnapped and tortured first order general Hux"  
\- "You won't obtain anything and the resistance will send you away!" Kylo Ren continued, desperate, Rey let go her hands from the bars and got away a bit  
\- "and we did those things unprovoked, and when we thought to find a new superweapon we didn't find any proof its existence. How many people have you killed in this war, all of you? Who has actually clean hands here? Who? Sure not me, I admit. I also dare to say that now this galaxy is a better place compared to a year ago, look around you. Children are adopted and not exploited any more, desert planets now have oases, people have job and there are much less poor people around. So, who are we to condemn him?". Everyone was atonished by her speech, but none as much as Ben. After just a second of hesitation, Poe asked:  
\- "Rey, what's up with you?". A sudden light appeared, and Luke's force ghost was there: everybody could see him, not force sensitives too.  
\- "This woman tells the truth. There is a thing, the one thing I've always kept to myself, I had doubted my own padawan and, before that, nephew. I had a vision on him, maybe an evil force sent it to me but I didn't know then. My istinct brought me to attack him rather than to protect him. When I understood my mistake it was too late, my nephew is smart enough. Now I must publicly confess I failed as a teacher. After that I believed him guilty of crimes he actually hadn't committed and on these false beliefs I defamed him. I now tell at everyone who whorshipped me: you were wrong. You were wrong to idolize me and condemn him. It shouldn't surprise us he left, after all. I ask you to free him because we all have done bad things in war". Everybody was speechless, and quickly they realized they had company: the main first order spaceship was there and got near, a megaphone sent a message strong and clear:  
\- "General Hux here: give us our leader back, then maybe we spare you, otherwise ... It won't go well".  
Hours before in the first order main spaceship:  
\- "we are ready general Hux" Phasma stated.  
\- "Good"  
\- "I'm fine with that, but I am surprised you aren't exulting right now. Won't you claim the first order for yourself to rule?" Phasma asked.  
\- "You know, for an entire year I had been dreaming this moment: Kylo Ren out of the way, but now I am surprised of myself as never before. I am ... scared. In the end I understand that ruling well so many planets is a massive undertaking and Kylo Ren have done an excellent job in that. Honestly I wouldn't have been capable of such" Hux admitted. Phasma added:  
\- "you have changed a lot you know? However our supreme leader made us to work together well, and together we are better and stronger"  
\- "indeed. Kylo Ren has forgiven and rescued me in the past, now it's my chance to return the favor. We must hurry now, I am worried at what that stupid rebel scum could do to him".  
Stormtrooper got off their spacecraft and started their assault, a group of them were headed towards Kylo Ren's cage, resistance members were all raising their weapons. Admist of that chaos all of a sudden Finn reacted: he ran towards the cage reaching it before everybody else and unlocked its door since he had stolen the key before. Kylo Ren woke up and got out at once, then stopped a second to look at Finn. None of the two said anything, they shared a brief unspoken glance and understanding. Soon enough Kylo Ren set off at a good pace towards the first order spaceship and didn't turn behind. Finn screamed  
\- "Stop! Let's lower our weapons! All of us!"  
\- "what? Are you got mad?" Poe screamed back  
\- "Please!" Finn begged everybody to stop both resistance fighters and stormtroopers. "Let's stop this war! I can't stand it any more! Stop! At least this attack, at least this time!" Rose understood and stopped shooting, lowered her weapon but got into cover. Rey, unarmed, spoke to the rebels:  
\- "do as he says, I'll protect you from the bullets with the force!". Reclutantly the rebels lowered their weapons and troops, cautiously, did the same, capitain Phasma was incredulous and reclutant. Kylo Ren was numb in that moment, mentally far off what was happening that time around him and exhausted from the kidnap, he saw only the main first order spaceship: his only salvation, maybe. He Jumped to the ship stairs and in that exact moment the entente: Hux appeared and reached to him, his arm and hand toward him. For the first time after who know how much time Kylo Ren got the impression to see a friend. He took his friendly hand and Hux drew him inside the spaceship.  
\- "Welcome back supreme leader" Hux looked relieved and Kylo Ren could barely contain his solace. Hux had already rescued him once on Starkiller base by Snoke's orders but this time it was different ... Snoke was no more. The previous time Kylo Ren felt humiliated as never before, this time it was ... better. Kylo Ren wanted to ask him why but he kept silent, sometime you can understand the unspoken. For a moment they hugged as real friends. Only after this Kylo Ren turned behind and looked at Rey who was still, looking at him. Around her the rebels had stopped to fight and his troops were backtracking. After all of them came back to their ship Kylo Ren ordered to leave, so the whole first order got off of that planet.  
\- "But what's wrong with you people? Rey, Finn you too. You let him run away, you idiots!" Poe was clearly angry.  
\- "You should shut up too Poe" Rose reprised him "don't you remember when you didn't obey general Leia's orders and made our pilots killed? Among them there was my sister Paige also".  
\- "I hadn't done it on purpose ..."  
\- "sure, but my sister died there with many other pilots of us. We also killed many of Finn's previous fellow comrades. Ask him how he feels"  
\- "but, I ..." Poe didn't know what to say any more.  
That evening while taking her shower, Rey sat down there and curled up: it had been an hard day. Suddenly the force bond, again after so much time: Ben was there, under the shower in her same position, naked as she was.  
\- "Oh sorry" he hurried up, turned off the water and took a black bathrobe and put it on.  
\- "Ah no ... it is not necessary ..." Rey started, motionless. Meanwhile Ben had the hood up even  
\- "how are you?" he hastened to ask her  
\- "I'm fine, thank you, and you, how are you?"  
\- "I'm alive" he replied.  
\- "I ... I must apologize with you for how i judged you in the past ... I ... I believed to have all the answers, the moral high ground, but maybe it is not so"  
\- "Don't say anything, please" he paused a second and looked at her. "Your friend are right. My sense of guilt won't end. Never. There is nothing I could do now to bring back the lives I took. Maybe I should ... maybe I should ..."  
\- "don't say that. Not even as a joke. You are young, your life is important"  
\- "as the lives I took?" Rey looked so fragile and yet so determined in that moment.  
\- "Yes" they paused. "Furthermore you din't kill your father, why didn't you told me about this in our first force bond?"

-" ... And would you have believed me? Really?" Rey stayed in an embarassing silence. "I feel responsible for that, however, Han Solo died for me, it's my fault".

-"no" Rey rebutted "and I am glad you didn't do it. Changing the topic, there is a thing I want to ask you" Rey continued "why do you hate the republic so much? Why your ideology is so different? You rule well enough, I recognize that, and I wish you a long life, but life is limited, however. Who will rule after you? Will it be a capable person as you or ... who knows? Don't you find right people could elect their representatives?"  
\- "the corrupt republic system. Elite will favorite themselves in republics also. But even so, this galaxy is huge. Too big to be ruled by one person alone, and the first order rules only quite an half of it. Even if I have the force ... I must delegate, I must chose the people who will respond to me, I have to discern the people between who is honest and capable and who isn't, and I must make many choices every day. It's hard, it's my burden. There is corruption here too, actually, I haven't been able to eradicate it all yet. But I like doing politics, and I won't come back in any case. This is my place".  
\- "I see, sure. If your late mother's militia treats you like this and won't forgive you in any case. In the first order you aren't in a protected environment i suppose, but at least you had the chance to earn those people's respect. It is better to start in a place where you are alone surrounded by strangers rather than be in a clearly hostile environment I suppose, and after the jedi temple accident your situation collapsed".  
\- "Let's talk about something else. What did you do to your hair?" Ben asked her.  
\- "Ah well actually it is growing now. I cut it very short some time ago. You know, jedi of the old cut their braid, I cut my three buns, so I won't look childish any more, not even if I wanted it".  
\- "Oh well if you want you can. With the force, of course". The force bond closed, it was sleeping time.  
Next day it was time to send to the laundry that brown overalls, Rey had to chose what to put on. Beige dress? No, it always had looked dirty actually, white robes? No, sure. Grey? Tempting but she wore that robe every time she went to him and it hadn't brought her luck, so she made herself a new outfit with black and white jointed bands. She listened to Ben's advice, was able to made her hair grow a bit and made a ponytail. Rey wore the medallion and opened the note, the handwriting was clear and elegant, but ... Rey summoned 3-CPO for a consultation.  
\- "I don't know this language, could you translate it for me?"  
\- "it is an ancient sith language" "a sith language?"  
\- "It is a ritual that sometimes allow to banish a god"  
\- "sometimes?"  
\- "uhm yes, if you have something that belong to that god and you must to be in the right sith portal. What a strange medallion you have, miss" Rey looked annoyed  
\- "Maybe you could do that"  
\- "no miss Rey. You must be force sensitive to do that. However it is not necessary to know the language, reciting the formula is good enough. But why would you banish a god?"  
\- "we should ask this to him" Rey talked to herself  
\- "he who?" 3-CPO was confused  
\- "it doesn't matter" Rey replied.  
\- "You look great today" Emma commented.  
\- "General, I ask permission to go to investigate the planets to the 'north'"  
\- "yes, I have strange reports from there, however your friends will accompany you"  
\- "thank you, general Emma".  
Our happy group went there on the falcon. Once there they found some asteroids and nothing more, only empty void.  
\- "It make no sense" Poe said "I don't see Ord Janon, Xo and Belkadan planets in radar, it is as if they were disappeared, how it is possible? If they were destroyed there would be many more asteroids". Something sinister had passed there: Ben had a point, Rey thought. The further planet they could go in that area was actually Sernpidal, the falcon landed there and they got off in an apparently quiet area. Rey was looking for the portal, but as soon as she found it a sudden wind stopped her and a dark figure got near, she sensed his evilness, he clenched his fist and the ground beneath her crumbled, she jumped while Finn and Poe, who were not far away, shooted.  
\- "That medallion" He pointed toward her "you have my medallion"  
\- "who are you?" Finn asked  
\- "I believe she know" the mysterious stranger answered, The group of friends was astonished. Rey was hesitant for a moment but the ground was collapsing everywhere, her friends were in danger, too.  
\- "Run away!" she screamed, everyone was hesitant but she pushed them toward the falcon with the force. Rey drew Ben's red saber and dashed again her new enemy, but that weapon wasn't wieldy at all  
\- "I feel your hesitation girl, you are here only to investigate, you are enemy of the man who stole my medallion, aren't you?" the son of Mortis started to tug with the force the medallion on her neck.  
\- "I am not enthusiastic to use sith things but ..." Rey was in serious trouble and her neck ached, for a second she thought she would have died there ... "but I believe in him!". Suddenly she saw Ben, he sensed the danger at once and reached to her, this time she took his hand and ... voilà! She was safe in another place, she was actually in one of the many political meeting of the first order above a long, simple wooden table, the room full of astonished, surprised politicians:  
\- "where this woman come from?" one of them asked.  
\- "Jakku ... well, I was meaning Sernpidal now ..." Rey herself was surprised and a bit confused  
\- "please, leave the room for a break, we'll get back in five minutes" the supreme leader said, and they left. Rey hugged him at once and retreated just a second after getting off the table, Ben was stricken and didn't make in time to react and hug her back.  
\- "Bringing a sith scroll to a sith portal? Are these your methods to save the galaxy? Are you really so crazy to be willing to use these vile sith methods? How disgusting!" she snapped  
\- "It's not time to be picky, and we have no time to loose. This is the solution I found. Do you prefer to kill him off?" he retorted  
\- "jedi portals and methods no, is it?"  
\- "oh sure, let's take a jedi portal on the south of the galaxy so the middle will be already blown apart! Sernpidal is the further north planet with a suitable portal". Rey stood a second: she was starting to understand  
\- "so it only work in proximity of the destruction, isn't it? We must go there now!"  
\- "exactly! How is your neck?"  
\- "nothing serious, the pain will pass"  
\- "do you have my note with you?" Rey reached her pocket, but the note was no more  
\- "damn! I lost it! It must have been the fight, the wind ... Did you write that note?"  
\- "yes, but ..."  
\- "you can write another one then. Where did you copied from? If you know by heart even better!"  
\- "it is not that simple! The ritual must be performed perfectly, it's not necessary to know the language but the text must be read precisely word by word and I remember it broadly, the original scroll is located in Oba Diah planet, I saw it in a video communication with an agent of mine on site. Come with me let's go!" Ben walked off the room at a brisk pace, Rey followed him without saying any word.  
\- "the meeting is postponed, I have an urgent thing to do" he said and went in communication room. "Call agent Pryde on Oba Diah, I must speak with him now"  
\- "yes sir" an officer anwered  
\- "it is night there now" another one added. Suddenly a big noise, it was clear soon enough they were under attack, a surprise attack.  
\- "Soldiers, all ready to counterattack!" Hux was always ready  
\- "it's the resistance!" another officer screamed, Ben looked at her, despondent. It was actually a lunatic fringe of the resistance, Rey couldn't sense her friends ... not yet. Maybe the main resistance didn't know what to do any more after everything it was happened, right? Right?? It was a strange feeling finding herself beyond the 'enemy' ranks, under attack.  
\- "I'll go, I'm going to tell them to stop" Rey told him, he looked at her, a bit hesitant, still:  
\- "can I trust you?"  
\- "yes you can" was her simple answer, she got out of a back door and went out among the confusion around her.  
\- "Supreme leader ... Is it a good idea?" Hux had heard and was dazed  
\- "a greater threat looms ..." Kylo Ren answered  
\- "sure strange things are happening lately" Hux admitted. Out there Rey launched them with the force:  
\- "stop! Stooop! Go away!"  
\- "why? Aren't you our jedi?"  
\- "yes, more or less, but this is not the time! Go away to our base to general Emma" the man reclutantly obeyed:  
\- "retreat!". They went away, messily, meanwhile Rey came back to Ben, to the communication room. The technicians tried, but without success  
\- "the communication system had been damaged and has many problems we are trying to solve, supreme leader". It went on for long and Kylo Ren and Rey were restless "supreme leader, if I may ... the problem is serious, it will take many days to repair the damage, at this point you do first if you send someone there or go there in person ..."  
\- "damn, it's a long trip!" Kylo Ren left and Rey followed him in the general astoneshment, he entered his spacecraft "what do you wait for? Get in!" soon enough they both sailed toward their destination.  
During the journey they found themselves as target of a Resistance attack, other lunatic fringes, of course. Soon enough Rey sensed the presence of her friends, who were escaped from Sernpidal on falcon. Although Ben dodged all the attacks and first order ships protecting his aircraft (it was small and could have little shields) there was very little to do against bombs and the starship was getting damaged, it couldn't fly for that long again. Ben called for his men to have another ship to go out of there, but all aircrafts were busy in the fight and it wasn't enough time to find another one. After a crash landing Rey saw the falcon and tugged it with the force, got it near enough and screamed:  
\- "stop! Land here please!" Finn looked out:  
\- "Rey! Come in!" Ben was behind, he was turning around to find the less away first order ship  
\- "I'm not alone" she replied to Finn while the falcon was landing "I'm with him, and we must go to Oba Diah planet, we are in a hurry"  
\- "would you let him get in the falcon?" Poe asked, annoyed.  
\- "listen, there is a threat, a huge threat incoming for our galaxy, we all have seen it, we are all in danger, bury the hatchet just for today, at least! He has vital informations to save the galaxy, If we don't cooperate then too bad for us!" Poe grudingly conceded, he said no word while Rose opened the tailgate. Ben wasn't very happy of the situation, but his quest had priority, he sat down in an angle of the falcon  
\- "I'll sat here and won't give you troubles". Silence, the tension was palpable and you could cut the atmosphere with a knife, Poe was driving the falcon towards the Kessel system, Ben looked out of the window and also all the others actually, unless chewbacca who sat at his place doing his navigator job. "We have company" Ben said.  
\- "what? The son of Mortis, here?" Rey screamed, troubled  
\- "did he understand our intentions?" Finn asked. The son followed them in his sinister ship, luckily Ben and Rey sensed him at large distance, so that they could land on Oba Diah and hide the falcon in an hangar. Ben hurried up to find his agent who handed him the original scroll.  
\- "We have a long way to go and I'm afraid he'll catch us, his ship is too fast" said Rey, concerned.  
\- "True, but we are here, near Kessel. This could be a lucky chance, but we should take a little detour, and it will be risky overall" Ben replied  
\- "well at this point ... What's up in your mind?" Rey asked.  
\- "The coaxium of Kessel planet near here could boost that old piece of scrap"  
\- "how do you dare to talk about the falcon like this! Well, I also at first had said something similar, then ... ok, we'll do as you say", and so our happy group went toward Kessel. Poe was tired so Rey headed the old honored ship  
\- "but if, and I say if, we still find coaxium there, how do we extract it?" Poe asked.  
\- "The force" Ben replied.  
\- "Cool!" Rey said.  
\- "But hasn't those mines been closed for years now?" asked Finn.  
\- "Actually there are some risks but there are areas where normal extraction system can't reach" Ben replied, while transcribing a couple of copies of the original scroll (you never know). They landed there, entered an old cave and Ben and Rey sensed the remaining coaxium and where to find it, Ben melted it with the force and Rey did the same. However it was raw, volatile, explosive: it was important to take it in the right quantity, and Rey trusted Ben wholly in that regard. They hurried up to come back to the falcon, but the son of Mortis had already get there! "All inside! Let me drive!" Ben jumped on the command seat and they all entered. Finn shot against their chaser  
\- "nothing? Not even a scratch?" Finn screamed, upset.  
\- "Rey, put the coaxium in the fusion power core" she did "again" Ben insisted  
\- "this much?"  
\- "more" he said.  
\- "Are you sure? The falcon will go on fire with all this coaxium!"  
\- "Mortis is nipping at our heels, his ship is impenetrable, we'll have to risk it all, i'm afraid. Do you have a better idea?"  
\- "but if the falcon explodes we will die for sure!"  
\- "no, if we escape in another ship first" Ben looked calm and collected while driving the falcon and dodging the enemy fire  
\- "But there isn't any ship here!" Rey protested  
\- "not here sure, we must be fast here, but at the base around Bimmiel planet there are ships, we can extimate we have round six hours to get there". Rey understood and put more coaxium  
\- "but that is a first order base!" Poe protested  
\- "what are you surprised by? Don't worry, I'll land you people in a safe planet after" Poe would have protested again but the falcon kept picking up speed until they started to feel sick: Mortis was a few steps behind them and threw asteroids at them with the force, but luckily Ben dodged and the falcon left him behind soon enough. Ben undertook the kessel run, his driving was breathtaking, Finn and Rose went to the bathroom to retch because they couldn't endure that speed so easily when they had to leave the light speed. Rey had put in the fusion core all the raw coaxium they took at Kessel (as Ben had asked her) and counted 9 parsecs in the Kessel run, it was also true that that ship's engine was going on fire, literally! While driving Ben opened a communication channel:  
\- "general Hux, I'm coming at Bimmiel base in half an hour with other 5 people, prepare a ship ready to start as soon as we arrive, it's important"  
\- "yes, supreme leader".  
\- "Rey, if something go wrong will you defend us?" Poe asked while Rey smiled, a bit elated. Once there Ben hurried everybody to move, they crossed the bridge between the falcon and a big first order ship.  
\- "Welcome back supreme leader"  
\- "good evening, general Hux. let's leave now, quickly" he ordered. The big ship flew away from the falcon. Hux leered at our happy group  
\- "please, land these people in the nearer post and find me a little, fast ship"  
\- "just about this, if you have a moment ...". All of a sudden from afar Rey and her friends saw the falcon exploding! They were shocked, Ben instead didn't even looked behind.  
\- "The falcon!" Rey exclaimed "Ben, aren't you sorry, not even a bit?" she murmured to him.  
\- "I passed half of my childhood there, yes, but it is also true that Han Solo often left in it. I am a futurist you see, I prefer to look forward always" only in that moment he turned behind, and seeing that old piece of junk in flames exploded as a firecracker felt strangely liberating for him. Kylo Ren turned towards first order people.  
\- "Today it is exactly two years you are our supreme leader, many things have changed since then, the first order is well respected among the galaxy's population, and our crew made a offertory to give you a present. Kylo Ren was sincerely surprised "if you want to follow me" Hux continued. Down in the ship's hangar there was a brand new spaceship "it's small but it has all the comforts, it is the fastest of our technology, you can be sure of that!" Hux was proud of it. Kylo Ren could hardly hold back his emotion:  
\- "I ... really don't know what to say ... It wasn't necessary, thank you ...".  
After all the however brief pleasantries it was time to go, times were tight and the galaxy needed to be saved as soon as possible.  
\- "Rey, do you want to come with me or do you prefer to stay safe with your friends?" Ben asked her  
\- "I'll go with you, of course!" she answered  
\- "what do you wait for then? Jump in". There was place for one people only, so Rey shyly sat on his lap.  
\- "Isn't it possible to kill him? Not even if we attack him together?" Rey asked.  
\- "I don't know" he replied "but I'm so fed up of killing. I have killed so many people, one more won't be a problem, you'd think, and you would be right, if this one was the only way to save our galaxy I would do it, but banishing him will be enough"  
\- "and where will he go? In another plane to kill others people?" she asked  
\- "free will" he answered "If you kill every baddie you met you are a judge, jury and executioner. I myself wouldn't have any right to live now, as some of my people in the first order. Can we improve ourselves or should we die all? Furthermore we should be able to exile him in another galaxy whose destruction wouldn't bring his family back, this is what he wants. But destroying an entire galaxy for nothing would make any sense, even for him?"  
\- "I ... believe to understand ..." was Rey's answer. Once there they were shocked to notice Sernpidal planet was no more. "The planet ... it is destroyed! The son of Mortis succeeded to destroy also this planet before pursuing us?"  
\- "apparently"  
\- "look there! Seline is still there, it is a planet where there are jedi portals, do you believe your ritual would work there?"  
\- "we have no choice but try, this situation is desperate enough! I don't appreciate neither jedi nor sith, but if their old knowledge can stop him, welcome". There was a blizzard there and they landed as near as possible to the portal, that was up in a mountain path. Rey felt a sudden sadness in him:  
\- "it is all ok?"  
\- "oh yes"  
\- "sure?"  
\- "you know ... I hate snow! Let's go now" he hastened his pace. Rey understood, she had beaten him in a cold and snowy place like that, and that scar on his face would never fade away. After a while she couldn't keep up his pace any more, when he realized that he took the medallion from her neck: "hold on! I'll do as soon as possible, look for a shelter, even if it isn't easy here, maybe one of those caves over there"  
\- "but wouldn't it better if I performed the ritual and you defended me? Moreover your red saber isn't handy at all! Not for me!" Ben handed his grandfather's blue saber to her, he knew she was in danger but she had chosen to go with him, and he knew the real target of Mortis was who performed the ritual, after all. "Are you sure?" Rey asked "you care about this lightsaber"  
\- "it's only a weapon" he answered.  
\- "Thank you" Rey didn't in time to give him back his red saber, he was already ahead "wait!" she pled "I love you".  
\- "uh yeah? I didn't know that!" he replied, smiling. Then he turned up and hastened. Ben got to the portal, put on the medallion, extracted a note from his pocket and started the ritual, after a while Rey reached him but unfortunately so did Mortis. Rey fought Mortis defending Ben with all her might until the end, parrying a potentially lethal blow by Mortis' dangerous red blade directed towards Ben, but at the same time when Ben finished the ritual Mortis hit him treacherously with his left hand dagger. Mortis vanished with his medallion on Ben's neck but Ben collapsed to the ground, shot in the heart. The storm had passed, there were the northern Lights.  
\- "Ben!!!" Rey screamed, desperate "you did it! You did it! Stay with me! Stay with me!" she shook him vigorously, tears covered her sight. The jedi texts she had learnt gave her the basis to heal and she did it with commitment, she was able to remove the scar she had inflicted upon him, but not the most recent fatal wound. While she cried hopeless a couple of figures approached them, she didn't even noticed them. It were Luke's and Anakin's force ghost:  
\- "maybe we can do something about this, don't loose hope, Rey" she turned behind her:  
\- "can you save him?"  
\- "I have huge sins to atone for, and I couldn't even reconcile with my daughter, saving her son, my own grandson is the bare minimun I can do now" Anakin said.  
\- "I also owe him my help" Luke added. They sat and his wound was magically healed by them with the force. Ben quickly arose and turned around his head, his uncle and his grandfather slowly vanished, smiling at him,  
\- "thank you" he murmured, understanding what have just happened. Rey hugged him:  
\- "you did it! You did it! You are alive!"  
\- "we did it" was Ben's response when he realized the galaxy was safe, from Mortis, at least. "I need a new suit, I suppose" he noticed while looking at the hole in his chest, Rey smiled.  
\- "you grandfather Anakin and your uncle Luke saved you, you know?" Ben understood. They looked intensely at each others, then kissed and hugged in front of Seline's moon.  
\- "... And so they dumped us here, even taking away our weapons" Poe complained.  
\- "Well, at least we are alive, and them let us go" Rose was positive enough. Soon they realized the public transport was good there, so they could come back to the resistance's base with no problems at all. There they found Rey who discussed with general Emma on a concrete chance to end the war and make peace with the first order. Poe was so fed up he wasn't even surprised any more: he wasn't in the mood to say anything.  
In a political meeting the supreme leader started a speech:  
\- "I want to change the system: in each planet controlled by the first order I'll call elections: people of each planet will choose between the republic or the monarchy, and a United Federation of Planets will be established". Everyone present in the room was surprised, in the general stir Hux asked Kylo Ren:  
\- "supreme leader, if I may ask: are you sure? Are you really intend to withdraw? Things are going well lately: I haven't heard of recents resistance's attacks lately, the galaxy is safe and our economy is good, too"  
\- "and yet the planets in our control are so many ... It is a long time I have been delegated the rule of each planet to someone I regard worth for honesty and capacity, of course they apply the laws I promulgate and answer to me but you see, each planet is different from one another, there are specific needs for the people of each, differents realities. I can't do it all alone. The people of each planet will decide for their own destiny, an union of planets however should be enough so that it won't be discriminations between them. Furthermore in this way the resistance won't have reason to kill our people".  
\- "But you, what will you do?"  
\- "I'm going to retire, I think"  
\- "isn't it a bit too early for this? Your hard work would be always useful, not to mention that you have been ruling Naboo directly, people is thriving there"  
\- "yes, I love that planet actually ... But maybe it is a bit too crowded for me, if I would to live there ... I'll think about that in the future".  
Soon enough an armistice between resistance and first order was finally possible thanks of the softer political stances of both sides, and a round table meeting was arranged in a neutral planet. The local government also threw a party at evening, after the meeting.  
General Emma went there with Rey and all our friendly group a few steps behind. Rey was gorgeous, she was wearing a wisteria color long gown, back covered only by a silver semi transparent stole, she had learnt to make her hair grow with the force: well her hair was at thigh lenght, laying in her left shoulder, she was radiant and eager to see him again. He showed up wearing a black coat with golden buttons in his usual, austere elegance, black was his color, as always. General Hux accompanied him, capitan Phasma was following a few steps behind with Pryde and a couple of first order officer close to her.  
\- "Hux, I still have to see that idiot" Poe murmured while the two groups were getting close  
\- "well, Hux is his right hand man, everybody knows this. Damn, Phasma is also here, I'll have to hold back otherwise things could go wrong" Finn complained back. After the signing of the peace treaty it was party time.  
\- "Hey guys, look at there!" Rose exclaimed: "Temiri! Happy to meet you again, how are you?"  
\- "hi! I'm well, thank you!"  
\- "but what do you do here?" Finn asked.  
\- "I'm here with my new family, I have been adopted again, I hope mum and dad live long this time!"  
\- "we wish them the longest and happiest of lives!" Rose stated. Emma got close to the ex supreme leader:  
\- "may I speak to you in private?"  
\- "yes" he replied, then they got out in the garden.  
\- "Supreme leader, Kylo Ren, Ben Solo, what do I call you?"  
\- "I am supreme leader no more, people are already voting now. A name is only a name, but I prefer Kylo Ren. This is the name I chose for myself, by which people know me, everything I have done, good or bad, is known as Kylo Ren doing. The other one ... belongs to my childhood, the age of innocence. I am past that ..."  
\- "you know, I knew your mother, I was a friend of her, and a senator too. She was so combative, always ready for a war, and she was little or nothing inclined to concede when people didn't think like her, maybe it is also for this she wasn't never be able to forgive her father, but maybe she had inherited her readiness to fight from him after all, but she would had been so afraid to notice in herself anything similar to him. She was so committed to her cause to forget anything else, she was like that, she was taught to put her political duties above everything and everyone else, also her own family. She fought for people freedom all of her life but yet, she decided for you. I know she sent you to jedi temple when you would have preferred to do other things, I know she refused the ruling of Birren planet and didn't ask you if you was interested in it because you was already at the temple. I think she regretted these things. Even then you should had the right to choose your own destiny and follow your own aspirations. I must admit that even as a leader of an undemocratic organization, you fought for a society more just and to lower social inequalities, to give everyone the same chances. Your mother wanted her child back, not realizing that much time has passed since the last time she saw you but you are a grown man now. If I may I can sure tell you she would be proud of you now". She held out her hand to him and they shook their hands. Rey turned away from her friends and went outside in the garden, Emma and Ben saw her  
\- "we'll have the election result soon enough, If you'll excuse me I come back indoor".  
\- "How are you?" Ben asked Rey  
\- "I'm fine" she answered. There was music  
\- "shall we dance?"  
\- "of course" Rey started down indoor, but Ben stopped her holding gently her arm.  
\- "I prefer in the garden"  
\- "don't want to dance in public?" Rey understood  
\- "exactly, it's nicer out here"  
\- "I can't say you're wrong". When they came back inside the election result was out, Rey saw Emma a bit disappointed because planets that voted for monarchy were more of what she would have figured. Naboo voted for monarchy and Kylo Ren as their king in a landslide.  
\- "But ... I didn't applied for that ..." Ben was surprised  
\- "well, our fault, mine and a couple of others' ..."Pryde stated. From a distance Hux raised his glass, smiling.  
\- "Actually I thought to go to exil ... ahem, I wanted to say go to resting in a lonely planet ..."  
\- "Too early for retiring, I'm afraid!" Rey said, smiling "congratulations".  
Rey and Ben married in Naboo, with Hux and Rose as witnesses. One morning Ben noticed something different:  
\- "you are different today"  
\- "yes" she answered "did you notice with the force?"  
\- "indeed"  
\- "soon enough we'll be in three!" they hugged and kissed before start their day, then Ben went to his usual political meeting. Luke's force ghost appeared and got near to Rey  
\- "long time no see, Luke!" Rey exclaimed  
\- "indeed. After my latest effort it is harder for me to show myself between the living beings. I don't mean to be a marplot but ... You know jedi shouldn't marry, don't you?"  
\- "you tell me that again now? It's too late already, I'm a married woman and now also pregnant, furthermore. This means I am no jedi, I suppose. Jedis are not needed any more, they belong to the past. There is light and dark in all of us, and we must to accept that. Peace and passion, balance. This is a new beginning".  
\- "Well maybe ... Maybe you are right". Luke left. Evening falls, and we see Rey and Ben keeping hands under Naboo's three moons, their future and the galaxy's are bright.

The end


End file.
